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[Page 2]
great, and run up to the conical hill which is mistaken for Mount Hunter: he had only been in that quarter once. He further told me, Barago was the place Warby had been at with the Native Burtbirry. In the journey round Vaccary Forest you will recall that my meeting with some strange Natives, along with others who were known to me, whom I questioned about the source of the river, and their pointing to the SE, which must evidently be the one I had just traced down, likewise telling me a horse could not go in a southern direction. In this they erred, for my native tells me a cart might be taken, for there was only one creek, but remarked there was only one place to cross it. Since, seeing Warby, I questioned him about it, and he gives the same account. He tells me he saw no river, conceiving it to be to the eastward at some distance. This creek, which only admits of being crossed with a horse in one place, evidently conveys the water from [indecipherable] Mere to the river.
Having been so fortunate to discover the junction of the two rivers, the next business was to find the conflux of the river on which was the Cascade, and in doing this I had some difficulty, owing to to the confines being rocky and brushy, and the numerous deep vallies. This being done, all that remained to complete the journey, was to link it with some known places and in travelling N 4¾ miles I came to [indecipherable]. I now was glad to think I had proved a former conjecture to be true, which I had given up, viz. that the Nepean came from the SE, as might be seen from Bajabin, but having come upon it higher than the conflux, entirely threw it out of the question. This journey likewise cleared up another desideratum, viz. whether the Nepean and George's river did not run near each other in a parallel manner, and to what distance did the forest land extend. In going out I left the Cowpasture road about 9 miles from Prospect; and in my route made George's river, and kept [indecipherable] to the vallies which led to it ever after. The Forest land went within about a mile of the Cataract, and was in many places of a very good quality. I strongly suspect that it is very narrow in some places, as I had each now and then to go into the tract in which my native had been before, in order for him to find out the Cataract again, telling me that on his return he heard a cock crow at Mr Davidson's farm.
Now, from what I have said gives room for the following conjecture; that the tracts of Forest land on the eastern side of the south east or middle river; and on the western side of the South South West [indecipherable] or Barago, (and probably another tract may be between them) may communicate with other tracts originating from the inlets of, or about, Jarvis's Bay. The tract of Forest land lying between George's river and the Nepean leading to the Cataract is called by the natives Worronmatta. My native tells me he once came from the sea coast below Port [indecipherable] to Menangil [possibly Menangle], and the country was an uncommon thick tracts with deep rocky vallies until he came to Worronmatta.
Of these three rivers, the one coming from the SSW I consider to be the principal, and must remain the Nepean; the middle or SE one I shall call the Partington; and the Cascade one I shall call Moowattin, to commemorate the memory of the Native to whom I am indebted not only for the discovery of the Cataract, but for causing me to undertake the journey, whereby other discoveries were made. I should much like to have gone direct to the sea from the Cataract, as I conceive it could not exceed 12 or 16 miles in distance, but it appeared to be a rough road, and what I had been told before of the country being very bushy, which part we must have crossed on our horses would not allow of such speculation. Had a route been so made, we should have gained a knowledge of the streams falling in to Port [indecipherable] and George's river.
Not having made a map of this journey, or in any ways inclined to do it while in the Colony, (it being mapped in my mind) I could not transfer my ideas to Sir Joseph according to my wish, but allowing you to be better acquainted with the map of the Colony than any other person, I deemed it proper to state the case to you, at the same time informing Sir Joseph the reason of so doing, and to look to you for information. Gov. Bligh committed to writing what I said when before him concerning the situation & the height of the Cataract, etc which I am inclined to believe he means to communicate, but that I consider merely as nothing to what I am possessing you with. I am rather a little vexed to think I did not know of this Cataract sooner, as I would have extended my ideas in many respects; however, I must not [indecipherable], for I have had the pleasure (or rather fatigue) in [indecipherable] the first of our people. And should it have been discovered after I had left the country, it would have been a sarcasm upon me, by such people as do not know the difficulty in travelling in this country.